The Gang's Wrongdoings Revealed

Thank you for coming.

Have you found out anything since the incident with those abductors?

Those incidents go deeper than we thought. The gang was part of a larger organization that only formed recently. Whoever's pulling the strings behind this syndicate, he was the one who wanted the children. As to why, that's still a mystery.

Do you know anything else about their boss, besides the fact he's a guy?

Apparently he's always dressed in full armor. None of his underlings have ever seen his face. For the most part, he sends his orders via messengers. Those thugs we captured have no way of contacting him.

How frustrating! Does that mean we've got no leads at all?

We did get hold of one interesting tidbit.

We've had reports of a group of suspicious fellows loitering on the Derismo Highroad. People have also heard children crying.

You think another kidnapping group is using the highroad as a drop-off point for the children they've taken?

It would makes sense. Can I ask you to look into this situation for me? We have our hands full right now trying to locate and expose all the different parts of this crime ring.

Of course. I feel like we haven't found the whole truth behind this case yet.

This is about that fog, isn't it?

I'll tell you everything once we know for sure. For now, let's go see what we can find out from the Derismo Highroad.

Thank you for your help. Please be careful.

There they are!

Keep walking, brat!

I don't wanna! Someone, save me!

We're here to help! Don't worry, we'll get you home safe in no time at all.

Save meee!

I dunno who you are, but you're gonna regret messing with us.

You're the one who's going to regret it. I'm not going to waste any mercy on a bunch of child abductors. I'm going to kick you scoundrels all the way to Nadara Volcano!

Big words. Let's see you try it!

Are you the mastermind behind these kidnappings? Let that boy go!

And if I say no?

What?!

Huh? What the...

Descendant of the Guardian... You have become a nuisance to me.

Where are you? Show yourself!

Heeelp!

Get back here!

No! He got away...

Blast it! I promised that boy I'd save him. If that creep does anything to him, I'll...

We'll get our chance to take him back. There's nothing more we can do here, for now anyway.

I guess you're right. We should take a look at what we know and come up with some kind of strategy.

You remember that wanderlust in Acteul? I think we should go talk to him again.

That folklorist guy? Why him?

When we first met, he mentioned a story about a ghost with no face. What if that "ghost" is really the man in armor?

Nice! In the dark, someone could easily mistake his helmet for a head with no face, especially if they were already panicky.

It's worth a try, anyhow. Come to think of it, do you have any idea what that "guardian" the guy mentioned is?

I'll explain later. I have a feeling it's all connected, but I still need to put together the whole picture.

Okay, I trust you. Let's get back to Acteul.

Oh, it's you guys again. Did you solve that kidnapping case all right?

Not yet. Seems like the guy behind it all is a man who always goes around in armor. Didn't you say a while back you knew a story about a ghost with no face?

No face...armor... Oh, I see where you're going with this! Interesting theory.

If that's how it is, that's another promising ghost story debunked. Is there no true mystery left in this world?

We're in a hurry here. Just tell us the story.

All right, all right, I'll tell you. According to my sources, the no-faced ghost appears in the Man-eating Marsh beneath the palace.

That place always gives me the willies... It's a fitting base of operations for a creep like that.

I just hope we're on the right track.

There they are! The missing children! It looks like they're not hurt, too. Your guess was right on the money, Aldo.

Those monsters must be guarding them. Shouldn't take us long to take them out and rescue the kids.

Ready when you are!

Everybody, you're safe now. We're going to take you home.

Yaaay! I thought those monsters were gonna eat us...

I was so frightened! My heart's still beating like crazy.

Where's the guy in the armor? He's the one that brought you here, right?

He's gone. He said something about us not being of any use to him.

Well that was rude. Do you know what he wanted you for?

I think he's looking for a way to control the elemental spirits and their powers. That's why he brought us all together, but it wasn't enough to pull off whatever he had planned...

Controlling the elementals? He's more power-mad than we thought. It's not impossible, though. When I first met Salamander he was possessed by some weird smoke...

Follow us. We'll get you out of here and back to your moms and dads.

Yay! Thanks, nice lady! Woo, we get to go home!

That's the last of them home safe. We should go tell that official about this.

I'm sure he'll be interested.

We nearly have the crime ring in this area completely neutralized, thanks to your assistance. All the children were returned to their families no worse for wear. You did a fantastic job.

Thanks, but what about the man in the armor? We can't close this case until we catch him.

That's true... But we'll be watching and waiting for him to make his next move. He's bound to slip up sooner or later. We'll be counting on you to chip in again when the time comes.

Sure. We'll be happy to help any way we can.

......

Myron? Something wrong?

It's...nothing.

Okay. Let's get going.